Two classes of materials have been proposed as anodes for secondary lithium batteries. One class includes materials such as graphite and other forms of carbon, which are capable of intercalating lithium. While the intercalation anodes generally exhibit good cycle life and coulombic efficiency, their capacity is relatively low.
A second class includes metals that alloy with lithium metal. Although these alloy-type anodes generally exhibit higher capacities relative to intercalation-type anodes, they suffer from relatively poor cycle life and coulombic efficiency. One reason is that the alloy-type anodes undergo large volume changes during charge and discharge. This results in the deterioration of electrical contact between the active particles, conductive diluent (e.g., carbon) particles, and binder that form the anode. The deterioration of electrical contact, in turn, results in diminished capacity and rate capability over the cycle life of the anode.